The 2005 Mancuso was aged for 14 months in new French oak. It offers up a superb bouquet of toasty new oak, pencil lead, scorched earth, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. Opulent, rich, and complex on the palate, this full-bodied wine has tons of flavor, nicely concealed ripe tannin, and a long, fruit-filled finish. Cellar it for 6-8 years and drink it from 2016 to 2030. The Mancuso project began in 2000 with the purchase of five parcels of old vine Garnacha in the obscure region of Valdejalon (between Calatayud, Carinena, and Rioja). Importer: Aurelio Cabastrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (571) 642-0343

As Robert Parker noted in Issue 159 after reviewing the more difficult 2002 and 2003 vintages, “The 2004 will give a clearer indication of this new winery’s true potential.” The 2004 Mancuso, produced from 100% old-vine Garnacha (80-100 years), suggests that the trajectory is upward. The wine was aged 14 months in new Fernch oak and bottled unfiltered. Purple-colored, the expansive bouquet offers damp earth, garrigue, cola, black cherry and blueberry. On the palate this large-scaled wine has gobs of spicy fruit, a supple texture, and soft, well-integrated tannins leading to a long, pure finish. There is enough structure for 3-5 years of further evolution and it should drink well through 2020. Importer: Aurelio Cabestrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. 571.642.0343 fax 571.642.0505

The 2003 Mancuso, which comes from 80-100-year old Grenache, was aged 14 months in new French oak, and was bottled unfiltered. It displays an impressively saturated dense ruby/purple color followed by a bouquet of scorched earth, kirsch, blackberries, and licorice. Although closed and difficult to evaluate at this stage, it is formidably endowed, possessing medium to full body, good concentration, high tannin, and a long finish. Give it another 1-3 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following decade. In any event, I enjoyed this effort and I suspect the 2004 will give a clearer indication of this new winery’s true potential. Importer: Aurelio Cabestrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 249-8028

From a challenging vintage, the 2002 Mancuso is a big, exuberant, rustic offering revealing jagged tannin, medium to full body, sweet, pure, blackberry and cherry fruit, and a subtle touch of oak. My only concern is whether the tannin will dominate once the fruit begins to fade. In any event, I enjoyed this effort and I suspect the 2004 will give a clearer indication of this new winery’s true potential. Importer: Aurelio Cabestrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 249-8028